Well, it's been several chapters, but the Australia arc is finally coming to an end. This chapter ends our hero's adventure in the deserted wasteland of, and I quote, Satan's Armpit. Definitely nothing will come of the adventure here and definitely no events will transpire that follows him back to Academy City. Definitely no deaths either. Definitely. I'll stop here, because I don't want to spoil anything. Side note, only one more chapter to hit the magical 100. Now, I want to give a quick opinion about NT18. I loved learning about the past through flashbacks, but I kind of felt a lot of information was presented without a full detailed description about it. Just a personal opinion and I still liked it. However, reading it made me believe Kamachi reads a lot of fanfiction. (A few people I talked to can see why I believe this.) He started mentioning Australia and Canada out of nowhere. I mean, what other group possibly makes fun of those two countries more than us and reddit? Plus some of the wording made me believe he reads out work. Kamachi, if you read this, please put "#Canadalies" in the author note of NT19.

Brosephg: What? Adam is the savior trying to defeat the big bad guy sitting on top of his throne. Touma is just being evil and forcing his ideals on others. You love spoiling things no, don't you? I knew you would join the dark side at some point.

Simmering Teapot: Well, it was mentioned in an earlier chapter Michael's sword and power were effective against Adam. The battle will be similar in some ways, but different because there is no aerial fortress.

wildarms13: Hah, back up against the Holy Right. Probably not useful. Wow, you really want Vento as part of the Harem? Her personality needs some work.

Eurigos: I cannot read that comment without an accent on 'tweest'.

general ironox: Nah, he touches one and Touma flips out. That is all it takes.

Lord Bamus: Breaks are for generic harem protagonists. Real men fight all the time.

Whwsms: I'll be honest about the catch with Touma not returning confessions. I was talking with someone else and they pointed it out. I had been planning to deal with it when he returned to Academy City, but the life and death situation kind of screamed, perfect timing. Many flags were raised last chapter, haha. Of course, nothing will happen in chapter 100. Nice cool down one so 101 can be season 5.

naruhinasakufan1: While Carissa's mother would like her daughter to marry, they exist in a time where she can't really force her. Queen Elizard is a very perceptive person.

Master Knight Trolling: Yeah, I realized that and changed wording slightly. I need to stop drinking when I write chapters because I forget what I write. I don't understand how people can memorize stories. You didn't expect Fiamma? At least 50% of people were predicting Fiamma's arrival at any moment. I was disappointed the dragon never actually bit Fiamma's third arm in the LN.

Anon: I refuse to admit I laughed.

Cyber dragonarmy: One of the fun things about writing in the index universe is magic. You could always go, it's magic deal with it, or you can explain it using historical information. Latter is more fun. There are a few small mentions of things.

xaxiel1572: Nah, Fiamma never died, he chased off Adam. Touma in this story has made a lot more close friends and they have become part of his daily life. He wants to return back to a normal life, which they are a part of. He also wants everyone else to be happy, so that is why he goes out of his way to find a solution that saves them all. The others have also begun to enjoy the lifestyle, so they are more likely to think of that. A few of them may have obsession over friendship as a guiding emotion though.

Guest: 1) I fixed some of them, but a few I wanted to leave as is. 2) Who knows? Maybe we will find out eventually when I introduce a few new characters at some point. 3) Nope, worked on Griffin Sky in England in the LN. 4) That is a good question. 5) Not sure if I will. While it would be fun to have a Halloween party, I don't really have any ideas for plot that would differentiate it from other Halloween stories.

Ospimpisons: Darksouls is a good game for casual gamers.

Salishious: Yeah, I changed it slightly when someone told me that while I was sober. Touma had a break and you know what happened? He caused a civil war. No more breaks for him. Maybe a nap, but no breaks. Oh, I can tell you that information Touma blurted out will never leave him. Spoiler: I don't know yet. I make this up as I go.

MightyImpluse: 10032 would be an interesting girlfriend. She wouldn't understand a lot of basic interactions and probably go further than a first date should allow. Mikoto and Misaki would both agree instantly too.

Guest13: That sounds about right.

Chris: Huh, paranoia something will happen and his friends keep thinking he's going crazy. End of the week he's huddled in a corner muttering the universe is going to get him.

Anon Guest: Not as funny if you stretched it out like that.

Darksoul: I never been good at writing Index. Just can't get into that personality like I can with some of the others. Everyone has things they are good and bad at.

Generation Zero: Yep, the body being destroyed was something I figured most people wouldn't see coming. They would assume a seal had been placed on it. If your theory is correct, you can understand why that certain number two lived. The way Adam was built and his tie to the world, there was really no way to beat him with their current group. That is why Fiamma returned. If a plan is good, there is no reason to change it. Why take the chance an enemy can get a lucky strike when all it takes to win is a dagger in the back? Fiamma's power is a kind of cheat code.

anapaula25972016: There was going to be one magician who might have done something with demons. Norse gods of kind of been done already with Othinus' group. If I use them, it will be cannon characters. There are no end of good stories in religious texts when you want to make some magic.

Handsomistic1: 1) It would probably make Touma look more human and hero like to most. Conquering your fear and moving forward. 2) I doubt Touma will ever get the answer to that question. 3) It's just Fiamma without an archangel, I'm sure they can handle it. 4) NT is getting to the main battle between magic and science. 5) I have. It's good to know my work inspired others to make their own. 6) I really hope the British Halloween is in season 3. Carissa and Lessar will be revealed to the casual Index fans.

Maxmotem: Well, we saw a very small part of the IB in those flashbacks, though Aleister has some fun information in there. Blood rituals were something I was going to do, but now that is canon I have to update the explanations. Laura is just misunderstood.

Jujudude: We will see if it comes to that. You pretty much described season 5. Go ahead and write it up for me and I'll modify it to fit the rest of the plot.

vietnamese guy: Because for some reason there is only 24 hours in a day and I have to sleep.

RPGPersona: Hey you caught up. I have been watching you slowly review with an essay after each chapter and been enjoying it. Everyone did hear his cry and they definitely won't let him regret it. Just because Jason and Kakine are obviously plotting something, doesn't mean they are plotting something. "Adam can just raise his hands in the air like he just don't care." It's comments like these is why I love to see your reviews. When will Adam return? Find out on the next exciting episodes.

Disclaimer: Random people do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or any of the characters. Reading this story may cause you to burst out in laughter or start yelling at fictional characters. This may cause nearby people to assume you have gone crazy. Please read responsibly.

George and Amelia were among the few who were able to react fast enough.

They raised their shields in front of Touma and Carissa, as Fiamma's third arm slashed the air horizontally.

The power of the Holy Right shattered their shields into countless pieces. Every knight and nun around Fiamma were blown backwards into the others. The last Five_Over exploded in midair and its parts rained down on all the troops behind it. Besides the impact from the physical bodies of the troops and vehicle parts hitting the ground, there were no other signs Fiamma did anything. The earth did not shake, dirt was not knocked into the air, and the air did not move. If it hadn't been for Touma actually seeing the movement with his own eyes, though it turned into just a blur from how fast it moved, he wouldn't have even known Fiamma attacked. The strike was an attack that could not be seen and therefore could not be countered. Touma didn't know if even his Imagine Breaker could have negated the attack if he had managed to raise it in time.

It was a strike that ended everything it touched.

This was the power of the Holy Right Fiamma wielded. It derived its power from the right hand, one of the most symbolic gestures in Christianity. Archangel Michael struck down Lucifer with the Sword of God in his right hand, the Son of God used his right hand to heal the sick, and the Bible was written with the right hand. Fiamma's hand was capable of replicating the power of all of those original acts of the right hand. His Holy Right was as strong as it needed to be. It simply defeated whatever it targeted with the precise amount of force required, no more no less. No amount of strength or defense could stop it. Any man or woman who stood before it was removed. If Amelia and George had not stepped in, Touma and Carissa would have been struck down.

It's like a cheat code in a video game, Touma thought when he saw how easily Fiamma defeated so many. He has the 'defeat' option when facing an enemy. A movement caught his eye and Touma barely saw the blur rushing out of the troops. William raised his giant mace and swung it down at Fiamma. Somehow, he had managed to retreat behind a row of shield knights to avoid being struck. He had once been a member of God's Right Seat and was the closest to understanding Fiamma's power out of anyone there. Fiamma's eyes moved slightly, but his cocky expression did not flicker for even an instant. The red hand struck against William's mace.

The mace exploded into millions of shards, which flew away into the distance.

"William," Fiamma said mockingly and slammed him down into the ground with his Holy Right. "You abandoned your position as a member of God's Right Seat. Then you took steps to remove the power that position granted you. You can't use the Divine Mother's Mercy and now your power is only at the level of a normal Saint. Had you kept the power, you might have been able to strike down Adam yourself. I never asked, but why did you throw everything away?"

"You are mistaken in your ideals," William answered. "And I found something more important to protect from people like you."

"Your country?"

"More than that."

"Our mission is to save the world," Fiamma told him. "You are focusing too much on a part of it. I will save everyone when I fix the problems that arose in God's design thanks to humans."

"You are a fool," William grunted.

"Shame you have gone soft," Fiamma sighed. He slammed his third arm down and knocked our William. Fiamma then looked up and saw the knights beginning to approach him again, weapons drawn. Mana permeated the air as the Anglican nuns began to chant and cast protective spells to try to defend against his attack. They will never learn. It didn't matter how much they strengthened the knights or how powerful their attacks were. The Holy Right would instantly adjust and use the exact force needed to destroy everything it touched. Distance also did not matter, as his strike could reach everything when used. He swung his Holy Right once more and hundreds of people were again blown away by an invisible force that could not be dodged. Fiamma smirked and raised it once more to remove the last shred of resistance.

"Stop it!" Touma yelled and stepped forward. Carissa was near him with her sword also raised. She had been momentarily stunned by Fiamma's power. Fiamma slowly turned his attention back to Touma, his arm frozen in midair.

"Imagine Breaker," Fiamma greeted. "This is our first real meeting. As I said, I am Fiamma of the Right, leader of God's Right Seat. I have come here for two reasons, one of which has been accomplished already. The other reason is for your hand."

"Shut up!" Touma yelled at him. "Enough about my hand! Why the hell are you involving so many people in this fight?! First Academy City when you sent Vento, then you sent William to England, and now this?! When will it be enough?!" The battle against Adam had just ended and now another monster appeared and began to wipe out all of England's forces. Touma had no idea if they were alive or dead, but most were not moving. Anger was welling up within him and threatening to burst.

"I suppose I should let you in on at least that much," Fiamma stated and looked around. "But not here. If we try to talk, the Princess's troops will only interfere."

"Heh," Carissa spat out. "You are not leaving this place alive. It's too great of an opportunity to take you down away from the protection of your church."

"I would not have revealed myself if I believed you had the power to resist me," Fiamma told her nonchalantly. "Still, I rather not be interrupted." His third arm moved above him and seemed to point up toward the sky with one of its talons. A loud crack echoed around them and the earth began to shake.

Not again, Touma thought. He first believed Fiamma was about to bury them all in the ground like Adam did, but that was not the case. A crack began to form in the earth on either side of them, about twenty meters away, right in front of the closest knights. The cracks began to lengthen around them in a perfect circle. As soon as the two cracks met, the ground shook again, this time more violently. Touma stumbled slightly, as the shockwave passed through him, and then he felt a familiar pressure, the sensation of moving against gravity. He glanced to his right and saw the troops begin to sink beneath the edge of the circle. His brain finally clicked.

Fiamma was causing the ground beneath them to rise.

"Not again!" Touma cried out this time, as the island floated high into the air. Only he, Fiamma, and Carissa were on it.

"Don't panic," Carissa ordered and held up her blade in the ready position. "It is what he wants." She never let her guard down against Fiamma.

"Clever girl," Fiamma laughed. "But you two are in way out of your league."

"Adam said similar things," Carissa replied with a shadow of a smirk. Fiamma's eyebrow twitched, but did not respond to her taunts. Instead, he turned to Touma.

"The hand you wield is a very special power that has existed long before your time," Fiamma told him. "And I plan to use it to save our world."

"Save?!" Touma retorted angrily. "All I have seen members of God's Right Seat do is attack innocent people! William actually protected more people after he left your group."

"You are not looking at the big picture," Fiamma pointed out. "You only see what is around you. While your actions are noble, they do nothing to fix the underlying problem."

"And you are?" Carissa asked sarcastically.

"Our world has begun to crumble," Fiamma explained without revealing any trace of irritation. "Something has distorted the Laws of Our World and allowed events to transpire that should not have been able to. I believe you experienced one Imagine Breaker, the event known as Angel Fall."

"When Archangel Gabriel materialized in the human world?" Touma asked and Carissa frowned.

"Exactly," Fiamma confirmed with a nod. "An angel should never have been able to be randomly pulled into our world, especially one of the four archangels."

"It was an accident," Touma said. "No one could have predicted it."

"No one, indeed. However, when Gabriel formed, it went by a different name, Mikhail. An archangel's name represents its role created by God. The fact Gabriel was able to give itself a new name meant the four archangels' elements were beginning to merge together. Did you not find it strange Vento's element belonged to Archangel Uriel, who reigns over Earth, but she used the element of Wind, which belongs to Archangel Raphael."

Touma could only stare at him slightly confused. He knew each member of God's Right Seat were aligned with a particular archangel, but his knowledge stopped there. Vento had indeed used wind attacks with her weapon and William focused on water type magic. He knew Gabriel aligned with water, after the Angel Fall incident he had a basic understand of one of the archangels. If Uriel and Raphael were aligned to the other two members of Fiamma's group, that meant Fiamma had to be aligned with the last archangel. The one known as the most powerful and leader of the others, Michael. That explains the incredible power he has in that weird arm of his. Carissa was the one who spoke up instead.

"Your explanation is going to go over his head. He doesn't know enough about magic to understand what you are trying to tell him." Touma might have felt insulted, but he couldn't. It was the truth. Fiamma sighed in annoyance.

"Imagine the distortions as broken cogs in a machine," Fiamma dumbed down the explanation. "It is sometimes necessary to switch out gears and install new parts. Using your right hand, I will complete my Holy Right and be able to use the full power of Archangel Michael to fix this world of the distortion. I will wipe clean the cause of the problem first and fix the darkness it has installed in man. Think of it as a simpler version of Noah's ark. However, while the darkness remained after the flood, I will specifically target it. You have seen the power of my incomplete right hand. Imagine the power I will wield to correct the world when it is complete."

"And what on earth do you think caused this distortion?" Touma asked.

"All of our research pointed to one thing," Fiamma said seriously. "The distortion started with the creation of Academy City."

"What?!" Touma gasped in shock.

"It was slight at first," Fiamma continued. "But the larger Academy City became, the greater the distortions grew. It was hard to believe, so we investigated. The man who runs the city is this world's enemy."

"Our superintendent?"

"You know nothing of him or the sick experiments he runs," Fiamma spat, showing a trace of emotion. "When Vento was sent to your city, we saw our first glimpse of Academy City's darkness. He managed to distort everything in the city and create a false angel. It was an abomination-…"

"SHUT UP!" Touma roared suddenly, which caused Carissa to flinch slightly in surprise.

"Excuse me?" Fiamma asked.

"You don't know anything about Kazakiri!" Touma yelled furiously. "What she has gone through…!" His right hand clamped into a fist. "Don't you dare call her an abomination!" Carissa frowned at his words. She had heard Academy City had repelled Vento, but the details were sketchy. If Academy City had managed to make its own version of an angel, which was something she would have to investigate, that would definitely have been an insult to many on the magic side. Right now, she took everything Fiamma said with a grain of salt, but Touma's reaction told her something had happened. There wasn't much she could do against Fiamma's Holy Right, so she was content to listen and try to think of a counter strategy against him.

"While I have no specific quarrel with her," Fiamma amended. "Her existence is unfortunate. She was created as a puppet for another."

"No existence is unfortunate," Touma growled through gritted teeth. "Everyone tries their hardest to live with what they are given." Fiamma pissed him off so much with only words. Touma could tell Fiamma looked down at everyone else and only his ideals and purpose mattered. I bet he tells himself only he can save the world to stroke his ego!

"Yet the world is never fair," Fiamma finished. "Another reason the system needs tweaked." He shook his head. "It would be so much easier if you would just understand." The shadow of a smirk appeared on his face. "I heard the conversation you had with Adam, especially the part when he pointed out your actions caused only more harm in the long run." Touma's throat went dry. "You live in the moment, like most people. You are incapable of seeing what the consequences of your actions entail. It allows groups like The Fallen and Academy City to manipulate you."

"Like you did by waiting for us to finish each other off," Carissa pointed out annoyed.

"I took advantage of a poor decision," Fiamma countered. "I fought Adam before and knew his weaknesses, but you never bothered to request aid."

"You tricked William into trying to capture this boy," Carissa refuted and gestured to Touma. "There was no way we were going to let you in on anything."

"And you nearly paid the price," Fiamma continued. "If I had not arrived when I did, your forces would have been killed."

"You attacked them anyways!"

"After your officer ordered them to attack me first." Touma could hear Carissa's teeth grinding.

"How did you manage to defeat Adam?" Touma couldn't help but ask. While he was still furious at Fiamma, the fact he accomplished what they had been failing at was an important point. "He regenerated from all of our attacks until your sword pierced him. Were you the one who removed the Sword of God from the statue?" Carissa glanced over at him. Touma had not told her about everything Adam said and he must have missed what Fiamma said about his sword being a symbol.

"No human could wield the divine power of God without suffering backlash," Fiamma told him. "Even myself, who aligns with Michael. My Holy Right creates a sword that acts as a symbol. Adam has delved deeply into the power of Lucifer, so basic attacks won't keep him down. By hitting him with the power of Michael, the fallen angel's power became a curse for him. It was one of the few ways he could be defeated. She," he gestured to Carissa, "should understand this." She frowned and looked murderous. Fiamma turned his attention back to Touma. "After I acquire your hand, I will investigate what happened to the sword. Adam's words may carry truth, but they will not always mean what you believe."

"How could my hand possibly help you accomplish your goals?" Touma asked. "Wouldn't it just negate any magic you try to cast?"

"Only when used by the incompetent," Fiamma answered. "I have to process your hand to complete my own." The red arm flexed in the air next to him. "The Imagine Breaker is a pure point that represents the original world, before the distortion occurred. It is necessary to reset God's system. When my hand achieves full power, I will purify this world, by ridding it of evil and the source of the distortions."

"What will happen to the people you consider evil?" Touma asked, afraid to know the answer.

"They will be purged," Fiamma stated simply. "Including your accursed city."

"YOU BASTARD!" Touma roared and charged forward. "Nothing gives you that right!" Fiamma sighed and made a swiping motion with his hand. Touma instinctively raised his own. A force collided with Touma's body and sent him flying backwards, even though his hand had gone off. Instead of being completely crushed, he had only been knocked back toward Carissa. Touma scrambled back to his feet and was about to rush at Fiamma again, but Carissa stopped him by putting a vicelike grip on his shoulder.

"Calm down," she whispered. "He is trying to antagonize us. If he wanted to, he could break apart this island and send us falling to our deaths. We are almost as high as the statue took you." Touma gulped.

"I see my decision to keep you along for the ride was worth it," Fiamma commented. "He would keep interrupting and we would get nowhere. Explaining the situation to him was my way of showing I respect what he has done up to now."

"You know neither of us are going to submit to you," Carissa informed him. "Thinking he would be anything else but stubborn to the end was foolish. I know firsthand how thick he is."

"Hey!"

"There was a slight chance," Fiamma conceded. "But you are accurate in your assessment. He has been blinded to only what is around him. He has not seen the darkness that is slowly choking the world. It is like a weed growing and strangling the tree of life. Let it go on for too long and all will suffer in the end. Constant maintenance needs to be applied to prune away the dark desires of mankind; malice, jealousy, hatred, and more."

"And you think you are the one who has the authority to do so," Touma muttered.

"Naturally," Fiamma confirmed. "I was blessed with the power and decided to use it to help mankind. A noble goal, would you not agree?"

"No." The single world escaped from Touma's lips instantly.

"No?" Fiamma asked curiously. "Here I thought you would understand. There is not much difference between you and I. Both of us have unique right hands we use for the service of others. Of course, this service requires us to crush what they have worked so hard to obtain, but such is life. I figured if anyone could understand my burden, it would be you."

"We are nothing alike!" Touma stated firmly and his voice continued to grow louder. "I would never kill someone I disagreed with! If someone is doing something wrong, I will stop them and help them find another way. You only see others as a nuisance rather than allies. There are people who do bad things, but no one is beyond saving. You focus so much on what people do wrong, you fail to see what they do right; helping others, falling in love, and protecting people they care about." He made a fist and raised it up. "If you truly believe killing is the only solution to saving the world, then I am going to shatter that illusion of yours!" His head turned when he saw Carissa's blade move forward.

"We will attack him together," she told him and he nodded.

"Very well," Fiamma sighed. "If you won't listen to reason, I shall use force. You brought this on yourself." He raised his third arm into the air and it emitted a flash of light. An enormous flaming sword appeared, similar to what he speared Adam with, but massively larger. It was easily twenty meters long and could easily split the entire island. The heat beat down on Touma and he began to sweat. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see sweat roll down Carissa's face, but her sword never wavered. Fiamma's hand swung the sword vertically down at them and Touma reached up with his right hand.

The blade slammed down and the sound of breaking glass went off.

It kept going off again, and again, and again.

This hurts so much! Touma wailed internally. His hand had caught Fiamma's giant flaming sword, but it was taking everything he had to stay standing. His hand was negating the magic, but the sword was either too massive or too powerful for him to negate it completely. The weight and magical pressure was crushing down on him. Every bone and muscle in his body cried out in pain, and then an old injury reignited. His left arm wasn't taking the blunt of the blow, but his rib was right in the center of the force. His side exploded in pain, as if someone was stabbing him, while he tried to avoid being crushed or split in half. His vision blurred, but he gritted his teeth and continued to endure. Cracks appeared in the sword and slowly grew larger. It was turning into a clash of wills, one which Touma was all to accustomed too. A movement flew past him and Carissa charged at Fiamma.

She was aiming for him since he was focused on crushing Touma.

Fiamma frowned and a trace of annoyance crossed his face. His Holy Right was occupied by wielding the imitation Sword of God against Touma. Normally, the sheer power would crush any adversary, but the Imagine Breaker was a powerful force on its own. The boy could barely stand and yet the determination never left his face. He should have collapsed already. Through sheer willpower, he stayed on his feet. This gave Carissa the opening she needed to strike against Fiamma. She covered the distance between them in mere moments and drew back her blade. Fiamma was forced to let go of the sword. While his arm was incredibly strong, to the point of just being a win button in a video game, he still had to use it against an enemy. When he turned the hand on Carissa, the flaming sword began to break apart. The weight on Touma vanished and he could move, but his eyes widened in horror.

Carissa was out in the open and Fiamma was swinging his arm.

Fiamma's Holy Right could not be dodged. Each blow was like a miracle, a power that could not be explained. Adam may have been able to avoid it, but Carissa could not. The blow hit her full force and she was blown back while her sword shattered. Touma knew he would never be able to reach her in time, so his body moved automatically further behind her, before the blow had struck. Touma ran at full speed and managed to intercept Carissa as she flew backwards. Her body collided into him and they fell onto the ground. Carissa was lucky in this regard. Fiamma's attack would use the exact amount of power to defeat an enemy. When Carissa was thrown backwards and Touma caught her, she didn't hit the ground. That meant the force she would have taken was weakened by Touma's interference. She remained conscious, even if her body hurt. Touma was not quite as lucky.

He landed on his left arm.

If Touma had thought the pain in his side was bad, he was not prepared for the pain surging up his arm. The bone must have unaligned again. He cried out in pain and tears filled his eyes. Damn it! It's going to fall apart! Carissa realized his plight and rolled off of him. When the weight lessoned, the arm now only felt like it was on fire, rather than being on fire and crushed simultaneously. Touma could at least stay conscious, but he kept teetering on the edge of passing out. Carissa helped him to his feet as Fiamma lowered his hand.

"This is getting boring," he said emotionlessly and his hand began to glow slightly again. An orb of light appeared. "Let's get rid of the unnecessary baggage, I only need your hand."

Touma's instincts warned him a moment before the beam of light fired. He reached forward with his hand and touched the beam. The knowledge the attack could not be negated passed through his mind. His hand began to burn the instant the light made contact. The attack was far too powerful for him to negate, or even hope to block outright. A fraction of a second passed and he felt his hand began to turn raw. The negation speed of the Imagine Breaker was being surpassed. While Touma and Carissa had not been disintegrated instantly, it was only going to be a few moments before they were. However, Fiamma could not have known Touma had another weapon in his arsenal.

Experience.

This wasn't the first attack Touma encountered he couldn't just negate. Instead of futilely trying to block the attack head on, Touma had another option. He opened his hand up completely and positioned it so it was facing slightly upwards. The beam of light reflected off his palm like it was a mirror. The light ricocheted into the air and split into multiple beams. The clouds above them were dissolved from the power. Touma was blinded slightly by the intensity, but the ground troops could clearly see the beacon that had formed. It let them know Touma and Carissa were still fighting. Fiamma finally ended the attack and Touma could lower his hand. Touma was panting and his hand was burned, but he was alive. He saw the look of surprise on Fiamma's face and he grinned. Touma really had to thank one of the most likely individuals for his ability to survive that last assault.

Next time I see Eve, Touma panted. I have to thank her. If I hadn't fought Cain's concentrated light beam, I would never have known I could redirect these kinds of attacks. I bet Fiamma didn't know about that.

"Why won't you just stay down?!" Fiamma demanded and finally displayed some irritation.

"Because as soon as I quit," Touma replied and took a shaky step forward. "It's game over. Everyone I'm fighting for will be at the mercy of a madman. No matter how many times I'm pathetically knocked down, I will keep standing back up until you realize your mistake!"

"How can I realize a mistake when I am not wrong?" Fiamma asked, irritation coursing through his words. He swung his Holy Right once more, intending to finish Touma off. Touma replied by swinging his Imagine Breaker. The sound of glass shattering was heard and a gust of wind whipped his clothes around, but Touma was still standing. A faint frown crossed Fiamma's face and he swung his arm again faster. Once again, Touma blocked it by repeating the same gesture. The air on the flouting island changed and even Carissa felt it. She didn't have her sword anymore, so her attack options were limited. Fiamma, on the other hand, realized a contradiction.

He had tried to swing his Holy Right faster.

While theoretically that could be possible, it should never have to be the case. The Holy Right used the exact amount of force to defeat his enemies, no more and no less. Carissa survived because Touma took in part of the blow, but that was to be expected. There should have been no way Touma could have stopped his attack like he just did. Fiamma gritted his teeth and swung his hand again, willing it to move faster and stronger. Touma's determination never left his face and his hand blocked the invisible attack. No, this isn't a coincidence. His hand is completely negating the miracles of my strike. It's just like when I faced Adam. However, Fiamma would not give up, he would not panic, not when he was so close to his goal. Besides his hand, he is nothing special. He had seen Touma take damage and be unable to completely negate all of his attacks. Fiamma's arm was slowly weakening and unless he could make it perfect soon, he would never be able to fix the distortion in the world.

"If you were right," Touma argued. "You wouldn't have to resort to violence or trickery! People would willingly follow you!"

"Sadly," Fiamma replied. "Violence is one of the few things mankind understands. Even if you hate it, you can't argue that it works." His arm reached over and ripped a large chunk of dirt off from the island. The gesture was obvious to all. Fiamma was planning to crush them with physical force instead of magic. With a quick flick, the hand threw the chunk of earth at Touma and Carissa. Touma bolted to the left and Carissa dodged to the right. The ball of earth slammed down between them and Fiamma grinned. He accomplished what he had meant to.

Shit, Touma thought to himself. I can't do anything against attacks like that. All my bones will break if I get hit once. His left arm had numbed and he couldn't move it anymore. All it did was hang limply at his side.

"Surrender," Fiamma called out to him from the other side of the earth mound. "Or the Princess dies."

"Do not listen to the bastard!" Carissa roared at him before Touma heard her gasp involuntarily in pain. Touma rushed around the mound until he saw them. Fiamma seemed to have instantly moved behind Carissa. It was possible he had teleported. The problem was his third arm was now crushing Carissa in its grasp while pushing her into the ground.

"Carissa!" Touma yelled out in panic. "Let her go, Fiamma!"

"If you give me what I want," Fiamma replied seriously. To demonstrate their position, the talon like fingers on his arm tightened and Carissa's face contorted in pain. She refused to give him anymore satisfaction and kept her mouth shut. "I am getting tired of our game and have many other things to do."

"You coward!" Touma yelled at him.

"This is what will happen," Fiamma continued. "You will cease your foolish attempts at opposing me, surrender your hand, and I will leave. You and the Princess will be free to go, along with the rest of her troops, assuming you do not try to stop me. Otherwise, I will annihilate them all."

"How do I know you will keep your promise once you take my hand?" Touma asked.

"You don't," Fiamma conceded. "But if you refuse, I will kill her now." His grip tightened again and Carissa flinched.

"Boy!" Carissa gasped loudly. "This is an order! Do not give him your hand!"

Touma looked from Fiamma to her. He saw the situation from both angles. If he gave Fiamma the Imagine Breaker, Fiamma would be able to execute his plan. The plan would lead to the destruction of his home, his friends, and countless civilians who were not involved. This was not counting all the other people around the world who Fiamma considered corrupted. The only positive aspect was Carissa and the rest of her troops would survive, if Fiamma kept his word. There was no evidence he would. Touma knew the steps God's Right Seat would take and they stepped on anyone who they considered a problem. There was the possibility Fiamma would kill them all anyways. He had proven they were no real match for him. It was thanks to the Imagine Breaker they lasted as long as they did. If they survived, there might be a small chance they could stop Fiamma later.

Carissa's order was more aligned with what he would normally do. Touma had to continue to fight, regardless of what Fiamma threatened them with. The issue was, if he did that, Carissa's life was on the line. There was no way he could reach her fast enough to stop one of those invisible strikes. He didn't even know how he blocked them before. His arm moved automatically. Another problem with this choice was Touma had no idea if they could win. Fiamma only had to kill Carissa and then crush Touma with earth, before picking up the remains of the Imagine Breaker. He had already showed he could handle the troops far below them. Fiamma's plan would come to fruition just like in option one if he succeeded.

There were no good options.

"What will it be?" Fiamma asked.

Touma took one last look at Fiamma's look of superiority and then traveled down to Carissa, who glared daggers at him. He sighed. There was only one choice he could select and there were still a lot of unknown variables.

He hoped it was the right one.

"You can have my hand," Touma stated, a lot calmer than he felt.

"Excellent," Fiamma praised, but he couldn't get another word out.

"YOU IDIOT!" Carissa roared. This was an accomplishment as Fiamma was still crushing her with his arm. "I gave you a direct order as your superior officer!"

"Sorry," Touma apologized. "But you aren't my superior anymore."

"What the-…!"

"Zach explained a few basic rules to me," Touma elaborated quickly. "One was about hostage situations, because there was a chance Adam would capture people. When a person is held hostage, they lose all authority they had, regardless of position. You can't order anyone around in this situation." If the situation had not been so dire, Touma might have smirked at the expression Carissa gave him. It was a combination of shock, that he actually remembered some of the army's procedures, and rage, that he dared to talk back to her. Then there was a tiny bit of respect mixed in. She started choking on her words, so Fiamma spoke up instead.

"You really showed her," Fiamma said between his laughter. "I bet she wasn't expecting that. I wasn't either, actually. I was betting you would charge at me wildly and try to strike me down."

"I considered that," Touma admitted.

"You doomed us all, boy," Carissa growled.

"I have a plan," Touma reassured her. "It's a long shot though." Carissa made eye contact with him and then fell silent. His eyes had not given up, so Carissa was going to place their fate in him.

"A plan that will fail like all your others," Fiamma pointed out. "Hold out your arm and I will sever your hand." Touma took a deep breath and stuck out his arm perpendicular to his body.

Please let this work, Touma thought silently. This is the first time I actually want you to come out.

"Too easy," Fiamma laughed and then his Holy Right let go of Carissa. It moved above Fiamma and opened up. A large sword composed entirely of blinding light formed. It wasn't as large and intimidating as the burning sword Fiamma had used earlier, but Touma was forced to squint as the light hurt his eyes slightly. To him, this sword actually looked more inline of what he pictured the Sword of God should have been. Fiamma's smile widened as the sword was raised. Touma flinched slightly, but did not lower his arm. Fiamma swung the sword and Touma closed his eyes.

There was a slight thud and then burning agony.

"AHHHH!" Touma yelled as he fell to his knees. His left arm was broken and now his right hand was gone, along with an inch or two below it. It took every ounce of energy for him to open his eye and see Fiamma next to him. Fiamma reached down and picked up Touma's severed arm with the Holy Right. He then turned and walked away, while the Imagine Breaker began to fuse into his third arm. It appeared as if he no longer cared about Touma's or Carissa's fate. Touma could feel the blood began to leak out of his stump. Part of the flesh was seared from the sword, which is why he wasn't going to bleed out anytime soon.

Nothing else happened.

This confused Touma.

"I was a little hasty," Fiamma muttered. "I needed this opportunity though. A few more preparations before I can completely integrate its power into mine is a small price to pay."

Why? Touma thought desperately. Why will you not come out? You have every other time. This was the first time he tried to summon the dragon hidden in his arm. He knew next to nothing about it and hadn't been able to have Jason examine it any further. This was the last hope he had to defeat Fiamma and save everyone. Now, it looked like his plan failed. Fiamma had the Imagine Breaker and was about to leave. The only upside was they had a little time before Fiamma could use his newfound power. He was only vaguely away of Carissa trying to rise to her feet and was focused on him. She put her faith in me and I failed. I doomed so many people because of my blunder.

"It looks like I have to capture the Index Librorum Prohibitorum," Fiamma continued to muttered, as he glanced at his third arm. "I need the knowledge on how to process the hand. At least my arm has stopped deteriorating, so my power won't diminish any further. That bastard Adam caused the process to accelerate."

"Stop!" Touma gasped.

"Still alive?" Fiamma asked in a bored tone. His head moved slightly so he could see Touma out of the corner of his eye. "Surprising, but you should count yourself lucky. I have no further business with you."

"I still have some with you," Touma gasped again. It was taking everything to remain conscious. "Leave Index alone! She has nothing to do with this!"

"Not purposely," Fiamma corrected him. "But the Anglican Church brought her into this when they made her. Her knowledge is needed by countless people, now including myself. She will provide me the instructions to perfect my power now that I have the Imagine Breaker."

"She won't agree to it!" Touma told him.

"She won't have a choice," Fiamma said with a yawn. "I stole a remote control that will allow me to control her, and thus have access to the 103,000 grimoires. I was planning to capture her in England, when you were outside the range of Academy City, but Adam forced my plans to change. Everything his group did seemed to interfere with my goal directly. I wish to save this world by fixing the system. They wish to simply destroy the system. Saving is much harder to do. Thanks again for weakening him so I could end his life. It's only because of that, I am allowing you all to live. You won't be able to make it back to Academy City before I do. She will be property of the Roman Catholic Church from now on. Remember, she never belonged with you."

"Shut up." Touma whispered.

"What did you say?!" Fiamma snapped at him and Carissa frowned.

Boy, she thought. Be careful what you say. A single flick of that arm will kill you.

"I said shut up!" Touma roared. His legs were shaking as he stood up, but the anger at Fiamma was clouding out all the pain caused by his injuries. "Don't you dare touch her!" The hatred he felt toward Fiamma kept intensifying. "She's a person and doesn't belong to anyone! Her life has been full of kidnap attempts, imprisonment, and loneliness. She finally made friends and can act like a normal girl! Now you want to take all that away from her?! You bastard! No person could claim to be good when they are willing to do that! That is pure evil! You can take her happiness over my cold dead body!"

"That can be arranged," Fiamma said and turned toward Touma. The boy irritated him. Touma dared to call him evil when Fiamma sacrificed much to get to where he was. All the training, the studying, the time it took to bring countless organizations under his influence was not something done at a whim. God's Right Seat's purpose was to save the world by purifying the Original Sin and bringing mankind into an age of prosperity. Just like when God wiped the slate clean with the great flood, there would be some sacrifice so mankind as a whole would thrive. Fiamma was going to let the boy live and keep his promise, but now that boy was planning to continue fighting. Fiamma knew he would follow him wherever he went, so it was time to end this. He raised his Holy Right and swung it to erase the defeated boy's existence.

The strike was deflected.

The strike was deflected!

Fiamma was in shock. Without the Imagine Breaker, Touma should have been unable to do anything against the attack. Touma did not raise his arm, he did not try to dodge, he didn't even move. Some force surrounded him and knocked away the Holy Right's miracle strike that ended everything it touched. The invisible force began to grow and Fiamma sensed it before he saw it. The air seemed to shimmer and warp before his very eyes. Touma's face was slightly covered by his dirty sweaty hair, but Fiamma could swear his eyes were flashing red. The blood on his arm began to float and rise into the air. Something large and invisible was forming. It was like a creature was being called by Touma's determination, his desire to triumph over Fiamma. The blood outline continued to grow and even Carissa noticed it.

The head began to form.

Blood dripped down from its fangs. The reptilian eyes focused purely on Fiamma and the mouth opened slightly wider. The air began to warp more and the outline became more distinct. The air grew cold and all pleasant feelings Fiamma had at acquiring the Imagine Breaker began to fade. Carissa's mouth fell open at the creature's appearance. Neither of them knew this monster existed. Touma knew about it, but it wasn't like he understood it. The few times it formed, it crushed his opponent and disappeared. This was Touma's final gamble and the first time he was going to consciously rely on it. The dragon's mouth opened wider.

An earth shattering roar escaped its throat.

The sound forced Carissa and Fiamma to cover their ears. It was loud enough that even the ground troops heard it. While Touma and Carissa had been facing Fiamma, the army had been trying to save those struck by Fiamma's earlier assault and find a way to help bring down his floating island. Their spells were not working. Either Fiamma had a way to block them or his magic was just too powerful for theirs. Hope was dwindling fast, yet reignited when they saw a beacon of light form in the sky. A sign their leader and the boy were still fighting. The army kept up doing what they could when the roar reached them. Fear and panic rose up at the unknown sound. Hundreds of heads looked up and waited with bated breath at the outcome of the fight.

The fear on the island was much more potent.

Carissa was paralyzed and the head wasn't even paying attention to her. She had never encountered a creature like that. It had no mana, yet exuded a presence that surpassed even things she had been able to do with Curtana. Her eyes darted to the boy, who was barely managing to stay on his feet. A strong breeze looked like it could knock him down. Yet, he had an aura that defied logic and said he would never stay down. That boy had a trump card like this hidden away? I can understand why he didn't want to use it, but he managed to defeat me without releasing it.

"What the hell is that?!" Fiamma yelled and took a step back. His body was wracked with fear and even his Holy Right seemed to diminish in the creature's presence. This can't be possible. My Holy Right wields miracles that can defeat any foe. How can it be pushed back by this… thing? "Answer me Touma Kamijou!"

Touma didn't say anything, but the creature continued to grow as it emerged from his stump of an arm.

"You…," Fiamma sputtered and the he realized Touma's state. "Are not even conscious, are you?" Touma did not answer and swayed slightly. The dragon seemed to be the one keeping him up. "Fine then, I don't know what you did to create that, but you are only sealing your demise!" Fiamma raised his Holy Right and the gigantic flaming sword appeared. Like last time, it was more than capable of cutting the island in half. The creature was a dragon, a beast in countless legends. They were monsters that were supposed to be leagues above mankind.

It wasn't like they were invincible though.

There were plenty of legends were dragons were slain by powerful knights, magicians, and even normal people with clever strategies. Of course, most of these stories the main hero had some kind of powerful weapon to use against them. The legend of St. George was one of the most famous. He had used a holy sword to slay the beast and rescue the princess. Fiamma had his own holy sword, one that symbolized the most powerful of weapons. The sword created by God himself. The blade was supposed to be able to cut through anything. After seeing the sword strike down Lucifer, God was supposed to have created a shield that was the only thing the sword would not be able to cut. Fiamma's copy was also infused with the power of his Holy Right, a power that imitated the Archangel Michael. With this power at his fingertips, Fiamma believed he could strike the dragon down. A feat like this would make him a legend. The flaming sword was brought down and the dragon slammed its jaw shut on the blade.

The sword shattered.

Fiamma could only watch in silence, his eyes wide, as the broken shards of his sword rained down all around them. The pieces hit the ground and shattered into dust that sparkled in the light momentarily, before disappearing into nothingness. Fiamma took a step back as he examined the beast. The head turned towards him and the slits of its eyes widened. Fiamma could only see hatred. His eyes traveled to the mouth of the dragon. It seemed to have swallowed a good portion of his sword and then the jaw opened once more. The rows of razor sharp teeth had not been dulled, burned, or broken. In fact, they seemed more defined, as if the power it consumed brought it closer to life. The symbol of the most powerful weapon in existence had been broken by a simple bite.

This was a fact not lost on Fiamma.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" he shouted. "Nothing like that could exist! What the hell are you?! You lost the Imagine Breaker, so this can't be part of its power!" Touma gave no sign Fiamma's words reached him and the dragon obviously didn't care. It only opened its mouth and roared once more. Waves of panic flooded Fiamma again and he continued to step back. The dragon must have sensed his weakness and surged forward. Fiamma swung his arm in a combination of desperation and fear. His Holy Right was supposed to generate the exact amount of power needed to defeat his enemy, no more and no less. The dragon should have been eliminated with his attack.

This action turned out to be a fatal mistake.

The dragon sunk its fangs into Fiamma's Holy Right.

"AHHHHH!" Fiamma yelled as he felt every ounce of pain course through him. His arm was connected to his body, but this was the first time he felt pain with it. The arm may have been deteriorating, but it's not like there were a lot of people who could actually challenge him. Adam had been the first person he met that could actually stop his Holy Right. Cracks had begun to form from Adam's death grip, but there was no pain involved, just the knowledge his arm was breaking. The dragon's teeth was actually causing irreconcilable damage and his arm must have been screaming in pain, for the feeling to actually back track into Fiamma's body. Fear overtook all rational decision and he retreated backwards, while trying to dislodge his hand.

His decision was followed by a sickening ripping sound.

Half of Fiamma's third arm was still trapped in the dragon's mouth.

"You… monster…," Fiamma panted and blinked several times, as the pain began to subside. The power from his arm began to fade away and Fiamma could feel it breaking apart. If he put the arm away, the creature would devour him. Though, even if it was out, it wasn't like the broken remains stood a chance. The dragon's eyes did not show a single shred of mercy. The jaws opened wide, the pieces of Fiamma's arm had vanished, and it prepared to tear into him. Fiamma couldn't get his third arm to swing like normal, so he was absolutely defenseless. Shit!

"No."

The voice was soft, but determination rang in that single word. The dragon's jaws were only a few feet away from Fiamma's face and he swore he smelled the rancid breath. Then it suddenly stopped. The eyes widened in surprise and the head rose up into the air. It slowly turned an eye back to the source of the noise. Fiamma followed its gaze and saw Touma stumbling forward. The boy had regained consciousness and seemed to have found his voice. Fiamma thought Touma was trying to say something to him, but received a surprise.

The boy is talking to the dragon.

"I won't become like him," Touma gasped. His voice was still weak in volume, but rang with purpose. "You will not kill!" Fiamma and Carissa couldn't believe what was happening.

The dragon's power was overwhelming. Even against Fiamma's cheat level Holy Right, the dragon had effortlessly crushed it. It was as if the creature was designed to destroy all adversity without discrimination. Somehow, Touma managed to stop the head from finishing off Fiamma. It only took a moment to see how. Carissa felt it too. Another force was emerging from Touma. An unexplainable force seemed to be pulling the dragon back. This new power was devastating the overwhelming power the dragon possessed. The dragon did not roar, it did not try to fight, but let the power draw it back into Touma's arm. Then flesh began to appear on the stump of his arm, while Fiamma felt the remaining power of his arm begin to vanish.

The Imagine Breaker is returning to him!

The Imagine Breaker was a unique existence and could not be in two places simultaneously. Touma's new power had called the semi devoured hand in Fiamma's arm back to him. Fiamma's arm was almost completely gone and Touma's hand was just about to fully form. When his hand finally returned, Touma flexed his fingers and then raised his head. He saw Carissa standing, a bewildered expression on her face, and then he gazed back to Fiamma. Fiamma's arm was gone, along with the pressure he had exuded. Without his Holy Right, Fiamma was a normal magician, even if his knowledge was greater than most.

"It's over Fiamma," Touma told him. "You have lost."

"Do you have any idea what you have done?!" Fiamma roared at him, all composure lost like his arm. "How many years of planning have gone into this!? How many lives have been sacrificed!? Then you go and ruin it with… whatever the hell that was?!"

"If you can't even beat me!" Touma yelled back. "Then you obviously don't have the power to save the world!" Fiamma blinked.

"You have no idea what you are talking about!"

"I don't have the power to save everyone!" Touma yelled. "No matter how much I try and want to! I have seen people hurt because I was weak! You had this amazing power and choose to lie, manipulate, and kill others! If you had put that power to good use, you would have been able to save so many! You tried to say mankind was evil, well maybe you aren't any better!"

"You have no idea what you are talking about!" Fiamma roared back. "Saving the world isn't as easy as waving a wand and shouting! It's a complex puzzle full of complications because of people like you and your damn city! If I could just…" He paused. For the first time, Fiamma felt doubt, something Touma picked up on.

"You…," Touma realized. "Doubted if you actually had the power to save the world, didn't you?"

"Shut up!"

"You kept telling yourself you had the strongest ability and that you alone had the power to save everyone," Touma continued. "So much so you believed it completely. Anytime someone tried to tell you otherwise, you crushed them with that arm of yours. Am I close?"

"Shut up!" Fiamma roared again. He ran forward and delivered a punch to Touma's face. Fiamma could hardly be considered a strong individual. In a straight brawl, Touma would have easily won. He was used to physical exertion. This time he was injured and exhausted. Fiamma's weak punch caused him to stumbled backwards, but he managed to stay on his feet. Touma wiped a small trickle of blood from his mouth and looked back up Fiamma. "You know nothing about me," Fiamma growled.

"I know you are too busy looking at what people do wrong instead of right," Touma replied and made a fist. He drew it back and then swung it forward. A dull thud was heard when it connected with Fiamma's cheek. He stumbled back and looked up, his own blood coming out of his mouth.

"Are you going to keep making excuses for what evil people do?" Fiamma asked. "Your city is a cesspool, people around the world starve, and yet countries would rather war than have help." He swung another fist, which collided with the side of Touma's face.

"Of course not," Touma growled back. "I have seen the kind of dark deeds people do, but I have also have seen the good they do too!" He swung his fist and knocked Fiamma back again. "People who risk their lives for others. Those that give up everything for someone they never met before. We all are responsible for our own choices."

"And I chose to keep trying to right this world!" Fiamma declared and delivered another punch.

"That's your problem!" The sound of another punch was heard. "The world is not wrong! I chose to believe people are good and some make the wrong decisions!"

"There will always be people who will in the current world!" There was another thud.

"Then it's up to people like us with the power to help them!" The thuds kept coming.

"I was until you interfered!"

"No, I'm going to set you on the right path! One without deaths!"

"Optimistic fool!"

"Pessimist!"

Carissa only stood there and watched the absurdity. Both of them had powers far beyond what could be considered normal and yet they had been reduced to trading punches and insults. Her body hurt, but she could move again. The thought of jumping in and stopping this fight crossed her mind. However, she didn't, which wasn't like her. At first she couldn't, as the dragon and Holy Right were above her. Now, Fiamma and Touma were at a level she could easily knock down. She felt like if she interfered, she would destroy all the work Touma did in facing Fiamma. In the past, she would have without a second thought. The first priority was always to defeat her enemy. Meeting Touma changed all of that. Watching the childish display between the two did annoyed her though and a single thought went through her mind.

Men are idiots.

Touma finally delivered an uppercut into Fiamma's jaw. Fiamma's body lifted into the air for a second and he fell backwards, spread-eagle, on the ground. He groaned, but did not move. All of his strength was used up and his head was reeling from the blow. Touma lowered his arm and it hung loosely at his side. He was sore, exhausted, and the adrenaline was beginning to fade, which meant all of the pain in his left arm, rib, and now face was coming back. He and Fiamma had not been dodging the other's blows on purpose. This fight was a battle between beliefs, rather than pure power. Fiamma had finally fallen. Touma swayed and his eyes flickered. He was about to fall, when an arm reached behind him and kept him standing.

"A real man stands till the end," she told him quietly. Up close she noticed his left eye was slightly swollen, there was a cut on his cheek, and several bruises covered his face.

"Heh." Fiamma let out a week chuckle. "It seems like I have actually lost. All of that work, wasted. To think I would be bested by another person with an equally unusual power and dream."

"You must have a low opinion of him," Carissa commented. "If you think he is your equal."

"You still have a choice," Touma told him.

"Not likely," Fiamma laughed, still unable to move. "I will be locked away for the rest of my life or killed." Touma looked over at Carissa, and she knew exactly what he was trying to ask her.

"Most likely," Carissa admitted.

"I'll accept my death," Fiamma stated calmly.

"No!" Touma yelled as loudly as he could. Carissa didn't even flinch. "You won't be able to make up for the mistakes you made if you end your life. People can change. One of my best friends was tricked into doing a lot of terrible things, but he's grown. He's done a lot to make up for it, even risked his own life for a stranger. It might take people a long time to trust you, but you can't deny how much you have done. Your knowledge and skills could save countless lives, if you are willing." Fiamma looked at him for a moment in silence, before he finally responded.

"I wish I had talked to you earlier."

"This kid makes some interesting speeches," Carissa agreed.

The ground beneath their feet began to shake and she looked around.

"What's happening?" Touma asked.

"Seems like my magic weakened enough for your men to tear us out of the sky," Fiamma explained. "Be prepared to plummet."

"Ah, shit," Touma groaned.

"I agree."

"Of all times for my radio to be broken!" Carissa fumed. The floating island beneath them shook violently again and then it began to fall. They felt their weight lesson as they too began to fall with it. The acceleration increased and Touma suddenly felt dizzy. Everything blurred and then went dark.

Touma grudgingly opened his eyes, as he tried to ignore the continuous pounding in his head. He had to blink several times to figure out where he was. What he knew for sure was he was lying on his back and staring at the roof of a tent. How did I get here? The last thing I remember was we started falling out of the sky. Oh, that's right. We beat Fiamma. So there's some good news. A couple seconds passed before Touma tried to sit up. He was lying down on a large cot, covered in a thin sheet. His left arm felt stiff and he saw a thin cast wrapped around it. Well, I did break it, destroyed the healing bandages, and then fell on it a couple times. I'm surprised it's still attached. He looked to his left and received a surprise.

Ruiko was sleeping with her head on her arms at the side of his cot.

Behind her, Imouto, Lessar, and Frenda all sat in other chairs, their heads on each other's shoulders. They were also sleeping. Touma didn't blame them. It had been a long day for everyone. Leivinia and Agnese were most likely doing something constructive with the other troops. Touma felt relieved to see his friends. Imouto, Frenda, and Ruiko were the ones who had the least experience with the magic side. The fact they made it meant the future was looking bright. They didn't seem that injured either compared to him, which he was perfectly okay with. He watched Ruiko sleeping for a minute longer before knowing what he had to do.

"Hey, Ruiko," Touma said gentle and shook her arm. "Time to get up."

"Already?" Ruiko mumbled and looked up sleepily. She saw Touma smiling at her and her face went red. "You're awake!" she suddenly shouted while pushing back against the cot. The force sent her falling backwards and hit the ground with a bang. The shout and sound of a falling chair woke up the others with a start, and they promptly fell out of their chairs too. Well, Frenda fell off and Lessar jumped into the air before landing on Imouto, which knocked them both onto the ground. Ruiko picked herself up and leaned up against the cot. "I'm so glad you are okay," she said with a tiny bit of water in her eyes. "You have been asleep for hours." Touma didn't have time to respond before the others crowded around him.

"You not only fought Adam singlehandedly," Lessar cheered. "But also managed to defeat Fiamma of the Right by yourself! I heard Carissa tell Amelia and George all about it!"

"Basically," Frenda added. "You were reckless and stupid, but managed to keep your promise about staying alive." She was actually smiling at him when she said it.

"Misaka is glad you have returned safely, MISAKA adds happily."

"What happened when the island fell?" Touma asked. "I blacked out."

"Agnese's forces had been trying to take down the island shortly after you started fighting," Lessar explained. "It wasn't until near the end the Anti-Flight Spells had any effect."

"We heard something that sounded like a roar," Frenda added. "Everyone around us suddenly became fearful and no one knew what caused it. Basically, all we could see from our position was something that looked like flames and a tall beacon of light."

"Fiamma had a lot of really flashy attacks," Touma explained and raised his right hand. "It was lucky my hand could negate or reflect them. That arm of his eventually deteriorated, which allowed us to win." He moved his legs over the side of the cot, so he was sitting up and the girls all sat back down in their seats to continue talking. "Seems like he couldn't keep that power up forever." Lessar, Frenda, and Ruiko seemed to take accept his answer, but Imouto stared at him intently. It was hard for Touma to know if she knew he was holding stuff back or was just watching to make sure he was okay. "But enough about me. I'm glad you all are alright and got out of the maze in one piece."

"Frenda and Misaka fought a man by the name of Julius Caesar, Misaka reiterates. However, Misaka was hit by a mental assault and was knocked unconscious. Misaka never saw the final battle, Misaka states ashamed."

"I was knocked out too," Frenda admitted sheepishly. "But I managed to wake up for the final fight. Used up most of my remaining explosives. Glad everything is over. I need to restock back home."

"At least there weren't any lasting effects," Touma sighed in relief. "Eve and Adam were always working together, so their companions would have to be powerful to keep up with them. There's no shame in it." Frenda didn't look entirely convinced, but smiled slightly at his attempt to cheer her up. Imouto only diverted eye contact, so Touma turned to Lessar and Ruiko. "What about you two?"

"I was also part of the fight against Caesar," Lessar informed him. "But I saw the fight all the way through."

"I was with Birdway-san, Agnese, and William-san," Ruiko answered. "We fought St. Peter." There was a short silence that followed her announcement.

"I take it you won," Touma finally said when he found his voice. "What was he like?"

"He was..," Ruiko said and hesitated. How should I phrase this? "A lot like you actually."

"Like me?"

"For one he could prevent people from using magic," Lessar volunteered the information. "He also crafted a spell to prevent any violence for occurring in his presence. Shoot, if he actually had any skills with the ladies, I could have sworn he was the future you." Touma spluttered in indignation, while Lessar and Frenda laughed. "Birdway went over it in detail while you were asleep."

"I got to talk to him since we couldn't fight him," Ruiko continued, her ears red. "He told us a bit about Adam's history and power. I passed on that information to Agnese and she said she will make sure the people at top know. He also told me a little about Eve, but not as much as Adam."

"Saten is considered a celebrity now," Lessar pointed out.

"Huh?" Touma asked and turned to look at her. "Why?"

"It's not really a big deal," Ruiko muttered sheepishly and looked at the ground.

"From what Misaka understands, it appears this St. Peter was an incredibly important historical figure and Saten-san managed to defeat him, not with violence, but through…. purification? Misaka explains as best as she can."

"I didn't understand it much either," Frenda added.

"I only talked to him and he remembered what he truly believed in," Ruiko continued quietly. "It was thanks to you fighting Adam that the magic on St. Peter had weakened."

"George and some of his men saw the ending," Lessar elaborated. "They saw her speaking with St. Peter and then he disappeared in a flash of light. Agnese and Birdway filled them in on what they saw and the rumors spread once Fiamma was beaten."

"What happened to Fiamma?" Touma asked. "Did he survive?"

"The Princess's forces bound him up and shipped him back to England for trial," Frenda told him. "He has to answer for his crimes now that he is in custody."

"Surprised they did that much," Lessar admitted out loud. "I would have sworn she would have executed him immediately."

"That man did defeat Adam for us, Misaka points out. It is possible that alone caused him to earn a trial." The girls shrugged, since none of them knew. Touma had his suspicion though.

Does she remember what we talked about at the end? he thought. Maybe she is actually going to give him a chance at redemption. The fact Carissa did not immediately execute Fiamma showed she had changed drastically from when Touma first met her. He wasn't going to bring it up though, in case she heard about it. Carissa would probably not appreciate it if he made her look soft. He decided to steer the conversation away from these dangerous waters. "So what now? Adam and Fiamma are beaten. What happens to us? Are Agnese and Birdway okay?"

"Agnese is with her forces and tending to the injured," Ruiko answered one of his questions. "Birdway-san is fine, but she retreated to a private tent to make some calls."

"Sounds like them," Touma admitted. I need to make sure I talk to Agnese before I leave. She wanted to tell me something last night.

"How are you feeling?" Frenda finally asked. "Basically, you took the most damage out of our group."

"Besides my arm being in this cast," Touma said and raised his left arm. "I feel fine, maybe a little tired." He frowned and looked at the cast. "I'm surprised I still have to wear this."

"Your arm was a mess," Lessar explained. "And you already know most of our healing spells don't work on you. Your arm is wrapped in a bandage that is accelerating the healing process. The cast is to make sure you don't accidently touch it. Normally, damage like this would take weeks to heal, but you should be fine in a day or two. Your chest was wrapped up too, but the rib healed smoothly."

"That's a relief," Touma sighed. "I have to thank them for going to such extent to make sure I could be healed."

"After that fight," Frenda laughed. "I doubt anyone is going to suggest you did not pull your weight."

"Misaka noticed a lot of the knights talking about your deeds, Misaka adds happily. They see you as a hero and symbol."

"I'm not a hero," Touma muttered. "I just did what…."

"Bull," Frenda snapped. "Don't try to give us that noble reasoning speech you love to say."

"Acting all humble just increases your appearance of a hero," Lessar added.

"Risking your life to protect us is pretty much the dictionary definition of a hero, Misaka informs."

"I'm going to have to agree with them," Ruiko laughed.

"If everyone is going to gang up on me," Touma muttered, but he felt a small smile begin to form. The girls laughed and even Imouto's calm face twitched slightly. "I won't say anything more about the subject." He stood up and stretched. "I still want to see what's happening now."

"You really need your rest," Ruiko spoke up and stepped in front of him. "You did so much already, it's time to take a break."

"Constant stress is not good for your mental state, Misaka says seriously. The savior should relax and stop worrying for a little bit." Frenda and Lessar pushed Touma back onto the cot.

"I feel like you all plotted against me while I was sleeping," Touma muttered with false bitterness in his voice.

"We might have," Frenda said with an amused grin.

"We definitely did not discuss tying you down if you were too persistent, Misaka lies."

"You don't need to tell him that," Frenda hissed at her.

"Misaka did not, Misaka corrects you. Misaka said we did not discuss it." Frenda face palmed, but Touma gave a slight chuckle.

"I thought you might be bored lying in bed," Lessar said. "So I brought some things for you to occupy yourself with." She shoved a ball of brightly colored fabric into Touma's chest, who took it automatically. "There's nothing wrong with your right hand, so you will be fine." The other girls were confused for a moment, because Lessar had not told any of them her plan. Touma was just as confused, until what he had in his hand became apparent. His eyes widened in shock.

"Ahhhh!" he yelled and tossed the cloth ball at the far end of the cot away from him. The ball separated into separate articles of clothing.

Specifically, four different pairs of panties.

One was white, one was blue and white striped, one was black, and one was light blue. The girls were silent as they watched the panties fall. Their faces looked at Touma's stunned expression and then turned to Lessar, who looked immensely pleased with herself. Imouto, Frenda, and Ruiko's hands moved down and touched their pants. Their expressions instantly changed from shock at Lessar's action to a combination of embarrassment and disbelief. Their faces flushed red, and even Imouto had a pink tinged.

"What did you do Lessar?" Touma asked in almost a whisper. The feeling in the air indicated things were about to get chaotic.

"I leveled up," Lessar told him and made a victory sign with her hand. "I used to only be able to remove my own underwear without removing anything else. Now, I can do it to others. After your confession, I figured this might help you decide." Silence followed her words and then something clicked in the others girls' minds.

"EHHHH!?"

"Those are ours!" Frenda virtually screamed.

"How?!" Ruiko asked in disbelief, her hands double checking against her pants.

"Impressive, Misaka compliments. Misaka never felt you steal her underwear. In the future, please ask permission first, Misaka admonishes. Misaka is feeling rather warm now."

"LESSAR!" Touma yelled at her. "Of all the…!"

"Die!" Frenda yelled and delivered a kick at Lessar, who jumped back in response. The tent was large enough for Lessar to move out of reach, but would quickly be cornered if things got serious.

"You have to be faster than that," Lessar told her with a laugh. "Besides, don't you think Lover Boy would like them? They are still warm." Ruiko backed away and hid her face with her hands. Touma could only watch as Lessar dug her own grave.

"Help me out," Frenda said to Imouto. "Let's teach her a lesson."

"Understood, Misaka responds." The two of them began to unleash a barrage of punches and kicks while Lessar did what she could to dodge. During the confusion, Ruiko grabbed her underwear and Touma's pleas for them to stop fell on deaf ears. Imouto managed to grab Lessar's arm and Frenda kicked Lessar in the gut. The force of the blow sent Lessar flying onto the cot next to Touma.

"I give, I give!" Lessar called out. "I don't have my weapon to defend myself. I will even offer you two a gift." She held up a pair of green boxers. "You can have Lover Boy's underwear as an apology." Everyone in the tent froze. Touma was the first to move and check his own pants.

"How… when… why?!" Touma spluttered. Frenda's eyes went wide when she realized Lessar was telling the truth.

"Misaka accepts your apology and gift, Misaka says quickly before the others can receive the prize."

"Lessar," Ruiko spoke up. Her voice was shaking slightly. "You have to stop taking underwear. It's stealing."

"Do you want it?" Lessar asked and held it out to her. Ruiko squeaked something incoherently and Lessar laughed. "Well Sparky Junior accepted first." She tossed the pair of boxers up into the air. Imouto held out her hand to prepare to catch it, when Touma jumped up off the cot. He reached up to grab the pair of boxers when Lessar thought of a devious idea. She reached over and slipped her finger into one of the belt loops on Touma's pants. As Touma rose from the cot, Lessar tugged on the loop.

Countless things happened in the span of a couple seconds.

One thing Lessar had not predicted was the flaps to the tent opening.

"I take it from the shouting the boy woke-…" Carissa stepped in, followed by Leivinia and George. Her words froze when she saw the events transpire. Everyone turned when she entered, but Touma had already moved too far. He had jumped up to grab his boxers, with Lessar holding onto his pants. He had managed to it grab his underwear, but then stumbled as his pants fell around his ankles. If that didn't make the situation worse, Touma fell directly onto Imouto and knocked them both down. Everyone else just stared. Touma blinked several times and saw his face inches away from Imouto.

"Ah! Sorry!" Touma apologized quickly and scooted backwards from her, only to realize he just revealed himself and his lack of lower clothes to everyone present.

The effects were instantaneous.

Blood gushed out of Frenda's nose as she glanced down.

Lessar wolf whistled.

Ruiko hid her face behind her hands, but there was a small crack in her fingers.

Imouto instinctively uploaded the scene to the Network. She did not want to ever lose this moment. This caused many things to get accidently broken by Sisters around the world.

Leivinia tried not to show emotion, but her face flushed bright red. Her eyes never left Touma.

Seems like Zach was right about him having a harem, George thought.

Carissa didn't say anything, but her eyes lingered on Touma.

Touma was mortified when he realized his predicament. He tried to cover himself up and yanked his pants out of Lessar's grasp. Why me? he cried silently. He was about to die of embarrassment. It was definitely all Lessar's fault, but he was ultimately the one who was revealed. Then he received a surprise. Carissa was actually smirking. He was about to try to defend himself when she spoke.

"I can see now why you are so confident."

Touma almost passed out right there.

"So did Fiamma really get sent back to England?" Touma asked. After everyone calmed down and Touma threw out the girls, some more forcefully than others, he got dressed and followed Carissa, Leivinia, and George into another tent where Amelia was waiting. During their brief walk, Touma noticed the camp had been set up again, though it was much more barren than it had been last night. The point of this meeting was to answer Touma's questions, since everyone agreed he would have them, without giving him information that would be considered classified. It was also better he heard it directly from them instead of garbled versions from others. Touma felt like they were referring to the rumors that were spreading through the knights.

"Yes," Carissa confirmed. "After much deliberation, we decided his knowledge was too valuable for an immediate execution."

"I was against this," Leivinia added and crossed her arms. "He is way too dangerous to try to keep imprisoned."

"Based on our observation," George pointed out. "Fiamma has lost all desire to fight and has surrendered willingly. That arm of his is also currently unusable. Your concern is noted but, ultimately, this is our decision." His eyes turned back to Touma. "Whatever you did to him seems to have had a lasting effect."

"I only made him see he was mistaken in his goal," Touma muttered.

"The Princess said something similar," Leivinia added. "Though some of the details were rather sketchy."

"Are you implying I am withholding important information?" Carissa asked coldly.

"I'm certainly not implying I enjoy your company," Leivinia muttered. She and Carissa stared at each other intently and nothing good was going to come from it. Everyone else knew that for certain.

"The details were more than enough," George interrupted before the fighting could escalate. "We don't fully understand Fiamma's power because the Roman Catholic Church holds a great deal of secrets. The Princess's decision to interrogate him could save many lives down the line." Touma did not know for sure, but he guessed Carissa left out details about the dragon. "We would have been in serious trouble without Mr. Kamijou's assistance. Not just with Fiamma, but throughout the entire engagement with Adam." He turned toward Amelia. "Didn't you have something to say?" Amelia sighed and her fierce expression, which she wore most of the time Touma had seen her, faltered.

"Hah," Leivinia laughed. "She's not used to admitting she was wrong, is she?"

"Go on," Carissa ordered. Her face was expressionless, but there was a dangerous gleam in her eye.

"I'm sorry for believing you were nothing more than a liability," Amelia finally said. "We normally do not allow outsiders to join in military operations, let alone children." Touma felt a slight twinge of irritation, but he couldn't exactly correct the truth. "And I can't say you gave the most professional first impression." George and Carissa looked like they were about to say something, but Touma went first.

"I can't argue with that," he admitted and Leivinia grinned.

"But you proved yourself time and time again," Amelia continued. "Not only did you destroy the barrier, our main objective, but you showed remarkable courage and decision making skills during our engagement. Your insight helped us against the plagues and you fought Adam by yourself, which gave us time to take out his allies. Then your quick decision saved our troops from his trap. After Fiamma ambushed us, you once again faced an opponent with overwhelming power. You still won, even with your body in its condition. I have to admit you surprised me."

"If you keep talking like that, Amelia," George said with a huge grin. "People might get the impression you have fallen for our guest."

"No wonder your troops are always the source of rumors," Amelia snapped and rounded on him. "You undisciplined attitude is why they can't remain serious for any length of time."

"And your Spartan methods is why your men flinch at every little thing," George replied. "They expect us to yell at them every day."

"You have to be firm to develop discipline. Your men are immature."

"Sometimes you have to let them actually have fun and relax."

"Do they argue often like this?" Touma mouthed to Carissa. He knew George had a sense of humor but. when he started arguing with Amelia, Touma was reminded of some of Jason's and Kuroko antics. Carissa didn't say anything, though her eye twitched. That involuntary gesture alone answered his question. Leivinia was watching the exchange with amusement etched on her face.

"Shut up you two." Carissa finally had enough. "You do this after every assignment." Both of them fell silent and her eyes darted back to Touma. "We are getting off track from the purpose of why we are even here. Do you have any more questions?"

"What happened to all the people who were enslaved by Adam?" Touma asked. "Did they make it out of the maze before it collapsed?" He dreaded the answer, but he had to know their fate.

"When Adam released his control that held the maze together," Leivinia explained. "The spatial magic pushed everything that had been swallowed up back to the surface, our troops, supplies, vehicles, and even the enslaved civilians. There were some enlarged wildlife, but they shrunk to normal size almost immediately." She shivered slightly. Touma decided it was better not to ask, but he assumed some snakes were involved.

"Phew." Touma let out a sigh of relief. "Glad to hear that piece of good news."

"It worked out well in the end," Amelia added. "We did not expect Adam to collapse the magic like that. You pushed him into it."

"Though, that leaves the issue about creating a new body for Lucifer," George added and the atmosphere darkened in an instant. "He mentioned an ally of theirs who can make one."

"All we have to do is find that person and crush them like Adam," Leivinia pointed out. "Eve is still out there and our spies show she is still mulling around in Academy City."

"Speaking of which," Touma interrupted. "When would my friends and I be able to return home?"

"A jet is being sent here later this evening to pick you all up," Carissa answered. "Our contact with your city advised having you all return at night will cause less attention."

"Try not to cause too much trouble," Leivinia said. "Even without Adam, Eve is quite powerful by herself. Don't purposely go looking for her."

"Are you not coming back with us?" Touma asked surprised.

"No, why? Are you going to miss me?" She winked at him and Touma tried to splutter out an answer. "I have other things I have to do back in England for a couple days, and then I will return to Academy City."

"The fact New Light and the Dawn-Colored Sunlight have been allowed to remain in Academy City is a blessing indeed," George spoke up. "With tensions between the magic and science sides, we can hardly send an army to help you fight Eve."

"I can understand that," Touma admitted. "Several magicians have snuck in and caused a lot of problems."

"More than you might think," mumbled Amelia. Touma looked at her confused and Amelia went silent. However, a quick nod from Carissa caused her to continue. "Your city has given the Anglican Church several magicians who have invaded your city, but our investigations have shown several magicians have vanished. They might not be dead," she said quickly when Touma opened his mouth. "They just disappeared. It's possible they escaped our radar."

"Weird," Touma agreed. "Normally Stiyl pulls me into any series magic side events." Jason mentioned he was part of a group that was supposed to deal with magicians. Would he know something about the disappearances?

"You should not have to worry about them," Carissa said, as if she read his mind. "Instead, prioritize any actions taken by Eve over anything else. If you see anything, let one of the magicians stationed near you to contact us. We will have a more complete picture of their plan."

"No problem," Touma replied. "After facing Adam, I rather just have a couple normal days without a life or death struggle." Leivinia and George actually laughed, and even Amelia and Carissa smirked at this. "Maye I go? I want to let me friends know we will be heading back home tonight."

"You may go," Carissa granted and waved her hands. "Everyone else, you may go too. I need to make a private call." Leivinia rolled her eyes and got up to leave. George and Amelia gave Carissa a quick salute and also made to leave.

"Oh," George said and put his arm over Touma's shoulders, as they began to leave the tent. "As thanks for helping us out so much, I feel I should warn you before you arrive back at your city."

"What is it?" Touma asked nervously.

"Zach recorded your confession when you fell off Lucifer's body," George explained right outside the tent, so Carissa could still hear everything clearly. "He sent it to a couple of your friends."

"WHAT?!"

"Seems he has been in contact with them for a while."

"I MEAN, WHY DID HE SEND IT TO THEM!? HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF WITH SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"

"Probably for his own amusement."

"I'm going to kill him." Touma already knew everyone heard him yelling he wanted a girlfriend. Lessar was sure to bring it up constantly at the most inopportune time, but Ruiko and Frenda might be mature enough to avoid mentioning it. Imouto said she had been knocked out, so there was a chance she didn't hear about it yet.

"This is why I said his men are immature," Amelia groaned.

"Lighten up, Amelia," George said with a laugh.

Their voices grew softer as they moved further away, until Carissa could no longer make out what they said. She sighed and grudgingly stood up in her chair. She really didn't want to make this call, but she didn't have much of a choice. She walked up to the tent flap and pressed down on a rune stitched into the fabric. It was simply an Algiz, a rune of protection. By stitching it on the tents, it could be activated by simply touching and igniting it with one's mana. Since it was on the inside of the tent, the main purpose was it provided protection against unwanted intrusion or eavesdropping. Without using pure magical might to break through the tent, which would alert everyone in the vicinity, only the Imagine Breaker and possibly Index could access her tent. She walked back to the table and set up the laptop once more. She sat down and frowned slightly when her mother's face appeared.

"Hello, Carissa," Elizard said. "Can you hear me?"

"You are coming in clear," Carissa answered.

"Excellent, now I take it since you have already provided the briefing about what transpired, you have something else to report?"

"Two things," Carissa confirmed and held up two fingers. "The first one is more serious, so I am going to start there. I left something out of the report because of its sensitive nature."

"Oh?" Elizard actually looked curious and Carissa knew why. When Carissa filled out her reports, she always made sure they were one hundred percent accurate, in case she ever needed to review them. Her serious nature would not allow even a single mistake. Also, lying on status reports could be a court martial offense and she was still on probation due to her earlier actions. "What could have happened to require such an action?"

"It involved the battle against Fiamma of the Right on top of his floating isle."

"I noticed it seemed a little… convenient in its ending where Fiamma's power happened to break down," Elizard admitted. "A member of God's Right Seat would not have broken so easily. Something serious happened that can't be made public knowledge, even to the other officers, right?" Carissa nodded.

"We were getting overpowered," Carissa explained. "Fiamma's hand was unlike anything I had seen before. It could defeat anyone in a single blow, except for the boy of course. Fiamma decided he was wasting too much time actually fighting and took me hostage. The boy was willing to give him the Imagine Breaker if he let me go." Elizard opened her mouth, but Carissa continued, her tone growing slightly louder to block any interruption. "His hand was severed and then… something emerged."

"Something?" Elizard asked and Carissa explained what she saw. The head of a dragon grew out of Touma's arm, outlined in blood, and then pretty much devoured Fiamma's magic and arm. It was a force that overwhelmed everything in its path. To make the situation even stranger, right before it finished off Fiamma, Touma had used a different power to make it disappear, and then regrew his arm. Carissa also provided a short overview of the exchanged of blows and argument that followed until Fiamma finally fell. Elizard listened silently until Carissa finished. "Did you ask the boy about what that was?"

"I considered it," Carissa admitted. "However, asking the boy about a creature that lives in his arm could hardly be something to mention in public. Then he was asleep for a couple hours, so the window of opportunity faded fast. Now, I doubt I could get him alone without drawing suspicion. I was hoping he would offer the information on his own, but he seems to be able to keep a secret at least."

"I see." Elizard rubbed her chin in thought. Carissa noticed she was unusually serious. "I appreciate the information and I do think this requires further investigation. I know a few people who can research the phenomenon for me and it won't get spread around. Do you think this dragon is part of the boy's hand, or a separate entity?"

"I think it has to be a separate entity," Carissa answered. "Fiamma wanted to fuse the Imagine Breaker into his own arm. The dragon showed up after the hand was severed. Either Fiamma did not understand the link between the hand and beast, or the dragon is separate. I think separate entities is the more likely choice."

"This information shall be classified," Elizard declared and Carissa nodded. "Do not engage the boy about this yet. If a situation arises where we need to know, then you can ask him, but I have the feeling he doesn't know about it."

"Actually," Carissa corrected her. "I think he knows about it." Elizard's eyes widened slightly.

"Why is that?"

"It's… also a feeling I had," Carissa said hesitantly. "When he was given the option of sacrificing his arm, I saw something in his expression that he was prepared to make a big gamble. I think that dragon was the gamble."

"I see." Elizard was silent for a moment. "That makes this more interesting, but also more troublesome. He is using a power he doesn't understand. It helped us this time, but it could backfire on us in the future. Very curious." She snapped back to the present. "Anything else you left out of the report?"

"No."

"Then what was the second item you wished to discuss?"

"It's about your forceful interference into my personal life." Carissa dreaded having to discuss this, ever since she made the decision it had to be done. Her mother's eyes widened in surprise and the devious smirk that formed only solidified her fears.

"Oh? Are you going to tell me off again?"

"You know what I am going to say."

"I have no idea, dear. Please enlighten me." Carissa could hear the amusement in her mother's voice.

"Are you serious about trying to make that boy a suitor?" Carissa finally asked directly. Elizard's smile broadened.

"At first it was supposed to be a joke on my end," Elizard admitted. "But after observing your reaction to anything relating to him, and your determination to frighten away all other possible candidates, I think he would make a fine choice." She picked up a packet of papers. "Based on your reports, he fought Adam by himself, destroyed the statue of Lucifer, saved our forces from annihilation by detecting a trap, and defeated a member of God's Right seat. All in a single day."

"I am not denying his accomplishments are not impressive," Carissa said defensively.

"Even when you nearly killed him and his companions in England," Elizard continued. "He still wanted to save you. He looked past everything you did because he saw the good in you, your desire to protect your country, even if you went down the wrong path."

"Again, it's not an issue of his accomplishments."

"The troops respect him," Elizard pointed out. "George and I discussed this already. After today's events, there should be no complaints."

"You don't seem to-…"

"There is no law that says a princess has to marry an English citizen either. It would be simple enough to bring him here after he finishes school."

"You are pointing out one of the main problems."

"And this is?"

"It's the damn age!" Carissa finally stated clearly. "Even if I had feelings for him, which I am not saying I do, he's still in high school! That gap is way too wide! He's not even eighteen!"

"So if he was eighteen, the issue would be moot?" Carissa did not say anything and Elizard gave an exasperated sigh. "He will be seventeen soon enough and an engagement can last until he turns eighteen and out of school." Carissa opened her mouth to speak, but Elizard cut her off. "I have had some of my people keep in contact with a young man from Academy City. He's working with the Anglican Church and I know Mr. Kamijou's birthday is fast approaching. As long as you are both adults, the age isn't really that important. Plenty of relationships have survived with greater ranges and others have broken apart with the same."

"Tsk," Carissa muttered. "You really want this to happen, don't you?"

"I want my daughter to be happy," Elizard corrected gently. "Yet you are too occupied with work to satisfy your other desires. Before you try to deny it, I know you want to find someone, but you set your standards impossibly high."

"I refuse to be seen in the company of garbage," Carissa snapped.

"Yet you are fine being seen with that boy?" Carissa did not have a comeback for that and diverted her eyes. "There's an expression I don't see often. You actually look like the young girl I remember so fondly."

"Shut up!"

"Would you like me to initiate the next step?"

"Huh?"

"Would you like me to set the events in motion for him to be a suitor?" Elizard amended.

"You really are serious about this," Carissa muttered darkly.

"Of course I am," Elizard confirmed, her face losing all trace of amusement. "He is the first male you actually showed interest in since him and I can't let this pass."

"I could argue my interest stemmed from something completely different," Carissa retorted. "But what makes you think the boy is going to agree to this? You know he isn't the type to be forced or bribed and, from what I have seen, he always has a flock of girls chasing him."

"That is so unlike you," Elizard pointed out and the amusement returned to her voice. "If you wanted something, you always went ahead and took it. Now you are worried about what others think?" Carissa scowled and Elizard gave a short laugh. "I figured you will need to talk with him about this if you expect to have a chance. I am sure you will find a way to convince him. Oh, by the way, his friend said he was into older, well-developed women, so you have that on your side."

"I'm going to find your contact and tear off his manhood," Carissa muttered.

"That might make Mr. Kamijou think less of you," Elizard stated rationally. "So I would advise against such an action. Now, my daughter, would you like me to set up Mr. Kamijou as a possible suitor? I need to know now." Carissa glared at the screen in front of her and sat there in silence. A minute passed as she considered the options that laid before her.

"Fine."

"Excellent," Elizard cheered and clapped her hands together. "When you return, you will have to pack immediately. You need a vacation after all the work you have done the last few days. Academy City is hosting a demonstration on several new high tech mobile suits I am sure you would enjoy seeing. It would be a great chance for you to relax and meet up with your friends in Academy City."

"Wait, what?!" Carissa yelled.

"I hope to see you soon, safe and sound," Elizard said, as if Carissa didn't question her. "Bye." The connection broke and Carissa was left staring at a blank screen.

My mother is the devil incarnate, Carissa fumed silently. She wanted to break something, but everything in the tent was needed. She purposely moved the conversation in a way I couldn't deny her words. I agreed to her plan in a moment of weakness. As long as I don't meet that boy before he leaves, I should be able to avoid any new rumors. Hmm, that reminds me. She pulled out her radio. "George, send Zach to the command tent."

"Roger." Carissa turned off her radio.

"He still needs a lesson from his antics earlier." She grinned and started rummaging around in her trunk.

Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. Only one more chapter till the magic 100.

Next chapter we shall return to Academy City and see what our other group of people have been doing.

Misaki: Huh, it looks like we are going to have to take down England again.

Mikoto: We actually have time to plan this time, so it will be easier.

Shizuri: Never thought I would see the day you two are willing to cause mass destruction when someone's life isn't at risk.

Misaki: Someone's life IS at risk!

Mikoto: The princess is a sadist.

Shizuri: I would love to join in the destruction of a country, but I have some plans for this weekend. It's sure to put me ahead of you two.

Mikoto & Misaki: What are you planning?!

Motoharu: We should get ready too. The raffle is coming up fast.

Pierce: Soon, he will have no choice but to admit his alternative persona is real.

Kazari: Yay, Saten-san is finally returning home.

Jason: Might be a chapter or two, because we still have some unfinished business.